LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming rodeo teams placed among the top six in the nation at the conclusion of the 2026 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), giving the program two top-10 finishes for the second time in the past five seasons.
 
That momentum will help carry the Cowboys and Cowgirls this season as both clubs take the first steps toward their ultimate goals of repeating as Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) champions.
 
UW opens the season this weekend at the CRMR opener at Chadron State College in Chadron, Neb.
 
The Cowgirls were the national women's runner-up at the summer CNFR in Casper, while the Cowboys placed sixth in the men's competition, giving coaches Seth Glause and Jacey Hupp their best overall showing in their first three years leading the program.
 
Entering year four, the coaches have solid clubs on both sides of the arena as the Cowboys aim for their ninth consecutive regional title, while the women hope to string together back-to-back championships after finishing as runner-up three straight seasons prior to last season.
 
"We look really balanced on both ends of the arena, and we have great leadership and CNFR experience returning. I look forward to watching our students compete at a high level this season," Glause said. "We will continue to work hard and pursue our team goals of winning the region and competing for national titles, all while maintaining a 3.0 GPA. I am excited for this group and ready to get the season kicked off."
 
What excites Glause is that the women's team returns four members of the points team who all bring CNFR experience, including national all-around champion Josie Mousel, who also won the national goat tying title.
 
The Cowboys counter with five team members who have CNFR experience, including Traven Sharon, who was fourth in the nation in saddle bronc riding last season.
 
"We have a lot of CNFR experience and are looking for our students to be hungry this year to go out and prove what they can do in the arena," Glause says. "We will continue to work hard and give a winning effort every time we compete."
 
Mousel leads a loaded Cowgirls team this weekend. The Colman, S.D., senior is out to defend her national goat tying title. She also will compete in team and breakaway roping while eyeing another all-around CNFR championship.
 
Also returning with CNFR experience is four-event competitor Layni Stevens, a graduate student from St. Lawrence, S.D., who competes in goat tying, team and breakaway roping, and barrel racing.
 
Landry Haugen, a Sturgis, S.D., senior, competes in the same events as Stevens, while Kassidy Dunagan, a senior from Whitehall, Mont., will do triple duty in all three women's events: goat tying, breakaway roping and barrel racing.
 
Sharon, a sophomore from Ordway, Colo., will compete in saddle bronc riding and team and tie-down roping. He also is the region's defending all-around champion.
 
Also on the six-man points team are defending CRMR tie-down champion Tate Talkington, a Scottsbluff, Neb., senior who also is a team roper; senior Treg Thorstensen, from Lantry, S.D., in team and tie-down roping; and Sam Gallagher, a senior from Brighton, Colo., in steer wrestling and team roping.
 
A pair of newcomers will open their UW careers this weekend: Central Wyoming College transfer Eian Smith, a junior from Pinedale who brings CNFR experience in saddle bronc riding; and Rozet freshman Carter Hutchison, who will compete in steer wrestling and team and tie-down roping.
 
A total of 61 student-athletes make up the UW roster, with 35 women on the Cowgirls squad and 26 men on the Cowboys squad.
 
The program has veteran-led teams this season, but Glause also is recruiting competitors to fill large boots for the future.
 
"We have a lot of freshmen who show great potential at our early practices. So, I am looking forward to seeing how that class develops moving forward," he says.
 
Five fall and five spring rodeos make up the CRMR 2026-27 season, with the culminating CNFR scheduled for next summer in Casper.
 
"We are excited about this team and what they can do in the arena this season," Glause adds. "None of it would be possible without the students, their families and all of our supporters."